Sequoia Elementary Newsletter

Dear Sequoia Families,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year! I want to take a moment to thank all of you for coming on Monday to meet your child's teacher and pick up supplies! Every family had signs in their windows, smiles on their faces, and were excited to start a new and different school year! Despite the range of weather we experienced, we loved seeing all of you!

As I have been checking in with teachers and extended care each day, I know this week has had its share of challenges. From not getting into zoom meetings on time, trouble with logins and passwords, or just keeping track of each child's learning schedule. At the same time, I also know kids are connecting with their teachers and peers, they are trying new things, and learning routines for a new kind of "school". Please be patient with us, your child, and yourself as we navigate this new and exciting way to learn. It will get easier and better each day!

As we begin a new school year I want to remind all our Sequoia families, new and old, that our goal continues to be growing all kids and growing community. We want to make sure all students are making progress academically, social/emotionally and that our community is growing together for the benefit of students and families. If our goal is to grow students and community then it is critical that we Thrive NOT Survive during distance learning. I will talk more next week at Back To School Night about what this means to me and what it will mean for our year but in the meantime, I want you to think about what your family needs to thrive. Our goal is to help your child THRIVE during the 2020-2021 school year!

Lastly, I just want to encourage all of us to remember how resilient our Sequoia community is during challenging times. Although it sometimes feels like we can't endure much more, there is strength found in community. Our staff wants to support you so please reach out if and when you need anything at all.

Keep looking for the good, Sequoia Families!

Mrs. Clark

Please join us for Back To School Night via Zoom on Thursday, August 27th! This will be a chance for you to have a live interaction with your child's teacher and hear more about what your child will be learning this year!

Teacher presentations will be approximately 40 minutes with a 5 minute break before the next grade span of zoom meetings will begin. Your child's teacher will send zoom links as we get closer to Aug. 27th. (Presentations will be recorded and sent to families if you cannot attend)

TK and Kindergarten - 5:00

1st - 3rd - 5:45

4th- 6th - 6:30

On Monday, your child was provided with paper learning resources to go alongside the online learning platforms each teacher is using during distance learning. In order for your child to turn in some of those resources for feedback and grading and provide you with another set of resources for the following week of learning, we will have a weekly pick up/drop off day of materials on Thursdays. A weekly pick up/drop off will happen for the first four weeks of the school year and then move to every other week, still on Thursdays. The reason for this is for teachers to get a gauge of how many supplemental materials will need to be included alongside the learning platforms and to make sure they are getting to see your child's skills and abilities to best meet their needs.

This will NOT be a scheduled drive through event like you experienced on Monday. We will have labeled wagons outside the front entrance of the school from 7:45-5:00pm, with a staff member there to help you. Please turn in your child's folder with any assignments your teacher has indicated need to be returned and we will provide you with a folder of new resources. Your child will always be rotating the same two folders (or envelopes for TK-1st grades).

Here is the schedule for the first trimester:

• Thursday, August 27th
• Thursday, September 3rd
• Thursday, September 10th
• Thursday, September 17th
• Thursday, October 1st
• Thursday, October 15th
• Thursday, October 29th
• Thursday, November 12th

It is extremely important to us that your child is able to log in to their zoom meetings and able to access the classroom learning platforms. Please be in touch if you are experiencing technology issues or are in need of any support. Your first contact should be your child's teacher and they will help connect you with the right resources and help.

Please feel free to show these video messages from Mr. Tayler and Ms. Sydney to your child!

https://www.loom.com/share/96bea865aa604b77ab854bb96d714132

https://www.loom.com/share/2c06dc75c37045b2b26c399353e25500

As we enter into a new season of power outages and wildfires, please make sure that your contact information is updated with our front office and that you've downloaded the RVUSD app. We want to make sure we communicate with you weekly and as needed during uncertain times. Email our office manager at mcarvalho@rvusd.org to update your contact information.

Website: http://rvusdca.apptegy.us/o/sequoia
Location: 5305 Dupont Drive, Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Phone: 707-539-3410